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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1998)
L ’AtSÜMWlKx Page A6 MAY 13,1998 ï l j r IJortlanb (Observer R a c e B\ P atricia C’ ampi zano Because little is known about the Bahai Faith. I will begin with some background before getting on to the topic o f Racial Unity, w hich is one o f its ordinances. The Baha'i Faith teaches us that all Messengers o f God have had an important role in human evolution. They have all given us what was appropriate at the time. But the process is a continuous one, hu mans are forever getting closer to achieving spiritual maturity and closeness to God. In 1817, another Messenger was bom, with a mes sage appropriate for this age. His nam e is B ah a’u 'lla h . His son • A bdu’l-Baha (1844-1921), con solidated the Faith and interpreted His w ritin g s. M ore re c e n tly , ‘A bdu’IBaha’s grandson Shogi Effendi (1897-1957) translated these writings into English and wrote some books o f his own. In the “The Advent o f Divine Justice’’, written in 1938, Shogi Effendi addresses the American community, giving guidelines to practitioners o f the Faith: “To dis criminate against any race, on the grounds o f its being (perceived as) socially backward, politically im mature, and (its being) numerically in a minority, is a flagrant violation o f the spirit that animates the Faith U n it y zens. Shogi Effendi goes on to address specifical ly the black and white races ofthis country: "A tremendous effort is required o f both races...casting away once and for all the fallacious doctrine o f racial superiority, with all its attendant evils, conf usion and miseries... -Let the w hite make a supreme effort to correct the tendency toward a patronizing attitude... -Let the w hite persuade the black through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them ofthe genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity o f their intention... -Let the w hite master their impa tience o f any lack o f responsiveness on the part o f a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds. -Let the black, through corre sponding effort on their part, show by every means within their power the warmth o f their response... -Let the black show by every means within their power, their readi ness to forget the past... -Let the black show by every means within their power, their abil ity to wipe out every trace o f suspi cion that may still linger in their heart and minds. ...Let neither think that anything short o f genuine love, extreme pa o f Baha’u ’llah...any division isalien to its very purpose... every differen tiation o f class, creed or color must be autom atically obliterated and never, under any pretext and how ever great the pressure o f events or public opinion, be allowed to reas sert itself”. This is very clear and precise advice. It exhorts us to re member that Baha’u'llah compared the different races o f man to the dif ferent kinds o f flowers in a garden, the variety is necessary to bri ng about the potential beauty ofthe whole. All the flowers, as the races, have their very own beauty and theirown indis pensable contribution to make. And this exhortation applies to both, the individual who has to fight the prejudices polluting his or her heart, and the community who must protect its members: “Unlike the na tions whoeither ignore, trample upon, or extirpate the racial, religious, or political minorities within their ju risdiction, every community under the banner o f Baha’u ’llah should feel it to be its first and inescapable obli gation to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it.” We cannot deny that these words have relevance today, given the recent and unfortunate violent acts committed by some o f our con temporary nations against their citi Meyer Memorial Trust Grants $1.5 Million for PSU Urban Center Project tience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wis dom, and deliberate, persistent and prayful effort, can succeed in blot ting out the stain which this patent evil (of division) has left on the name o f their common country” . Further on, in an invitation to a place we have not seen, a future w e must create, he goes on to list the benefits o f such changes: "... be firmly convinced that on their mutual understanding, their am ity, and their sustained coopera tion. m ust depend, more than on any either operating force..., the deflection o f a dangerous course... and the m aterialization o f the hopes H e(B ah a’u ’llah)cherished for their jo in t contribution to the fulfillm ent o fth is country’s glori ous destiny... I wish to impress upon you not only the urgency o f this holy task but the lim itless possibilities which it possesses o f raising to such exalted level not only the life o f your com m unity, but the m otives and standards that govern the relationships among (all) people (belonging) to these tim es, so fraught with peril, so full ofcorruption, and yet so preg nant with the prom ise o f a future so bright that no previous age in the annals o f m ankind can rival its glory”. The M eyer M em orial T rust has g ran ted $1.5 m illio n to w a rd the c o m p le tio n o f P o rtla n d S ta te U n i v e r s i t y ’ s U rb a n C e n te r p ro ject, w hich b egins c o n s tru c tion this sum m er. T he gift is one o f the largest ev er given by the P o rtla n d based c h a r ita b le o r g a n iz a tio n , an d b rings the total am ount o f c h a ri table gifts raised tow ard the U r ban C e n te r p ro ject to ju s t over $3.2 m illion. It is also the la rg e st g ift ev er If you want to know more about Racial Unity Or about The Baha’i Faith Send us a self-addressed envelope at: The Baha’is of Portland P.O. Box 83297 Portland, OR 97283 or visit our web site: www.pdx-bahai.org Event to Help Hispanic, Latino Students Prepare for Col lege Oregon State University student, fac ulty and administrative leaders will host a special event in Salem on Fhursday, May 21, to help Hispanic-Latino students in area high schools begin preparing for college. The event, "Si, Se Puede,” is aimed at students in grades 9-12. I l will run from 6-9 pm at the Oregon State Fair and Expo Center’s Cascade Hall, 233017th St. NE in SaIem.“We are inviting His panic-Latino students, their parents and community leaders to learn more about what it takes to begin preparing for a four year university, regardlessofwhich uni versity that may be," said Louan J ohnson. marketing assistant at OSU. Scheduled speakers include Clara Padilla Andrews, publisher o f El His panic News; Orcilia Zuniga-Forbes, vice president for university advance ment at OSU; ErlindaGon/ales-Berry. chairofO SU ’s Department of Ethnic Studies; Larry Griggs, director of the received by the PSU F oundation. “ The U rban C e n te r is a w o n derfu lly a p p ro p ria te w ay o f e x tending P ortland S ta te 's o rie n ta tion to the city w hile sh o w casin g its n atio n ally know n C o lle g e o f U rban and P ublic A ffa irs,” said John T hom pson, a m em ber o f the M eyer M em orial T ru s t’s B oard o f T ru stees, and C E O o f N orm T hom pson. “T his is an e x citin g project that should stim u la te d e velopm ent o f a part o f dow ntow n th a t’s been too long o v e rlo o k e d .” Select Educational Opportunities Program (F.OP) at the university; O scar Montemayor, counselor and academic advisor for EOP and the College As sistance Education Office. For more information, contact Luis Juarez, 5 4 1 -73 7-0484, or Rudy Flores at 541-737-9031. Pam A r d e n County Commissioner M ultnom ah C ounty, D istric t 2 Experienced - Thoughtful - Effective Third Annual BLACK ACHIEVERS RECOGNITION BANQUET Gloria Cabine Bank M a n a g e r, Wells F argo W ednesday , M ay 1 3 , 1 9 9 8 5 :3 0 pm - S ocial 6 : 4 5 pm - D inner Kedrlch Jackson Project M anager, Hewlett Packard 'Special Guest Buffalo Soliders and Allen Temple CME Choir Youth' Master of Ceremonies Ken Boddie Guest Speaker: Melvin D. Oden-Orr Beverly Edmondson Attorney a t Law Lane-Powell-Spears-Lubersky Sales, Recruiting & HR Manager, IKON Office Salotlons News Anchor KOIN-TV Manuel Houston Owens C orning Store M a n a g e r, Fred M eyer D oubletree H otel at the C olumbia R iver 1 4 0 1 N . H ayden I sland D rive Please RSVP TODA Y at 221-5333 ¥ ■■ Michelle Hurdle Chastity Pratt YMCA Northsidc Family YMCA V ice President/Area M a n a g e r Bank o l A m e ric a i lie build strong kids, strong families, ® fit) . strong communities. i Reporter The O reg o n ia n 1
